Background: While there is general agreement that healthcare professionals are at an increased risk for alcohol and substance use disorder there is limited data on the rates of incidence because health care professionals rarely report problematic alcohol or substance use accurately for fear of disciplinary action against their license to practice. It is also difficult to gather accurate statistics because employers often fail to recognize the signs and symptoms of alcohol and substance use disorders. Available literature on the subject estimates that between 10% to 15% of health care professionals are struggling with an alcohol or substance use disorder. In 2015, a large study found alcohol abuse rates of 12-25% in American physicians.[1] Many health care professionals do not receive appropriate intervention and treatment due to the lack of proper identification of an alcohol or substance use disorder. Data gathered from reporting state agency disciplinary action reports show that a majority of health care professional license revocations are related to alcohol and substance use disorders. The goal of this microcredential is identification and referral of substance use disorder in health professionals. HRSA Peer Educators will give a training on Drug Abuse Prevention. All participants that complete the training will earn a micro-credential in the training as well as a $25 gift card.
Learning Outcomes:
Discuss why healthcare professionals are at an increased risk for an alcohol or substance use disorder.
Identify the Physical and Behavioral Indicators of Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders
Identify the Indicators of Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders in the Health Care Practice Setting
Discuss the reasons that Colleagues, Supervisors, and Employers May Not Identify Health Care Professional Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders
Discuss Barriers to Intervention for Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders in Health Professionals
Identify harm reduction, treatment, and education options for treating alcohol and substance use disorder in health professionals.
Discuss Relapse Prevention when managing alcohol and substance use disorder in health professionals.
Complete Narcan training.
